As we are reaching another day of 100 degree heat here in South Carolina, my mind has thoughts of ways to save on your electric bill. This great video shows us in under two minutes how to take steps in order to maximize your home’s efficiency, which also can equal minimizing those pesky electric bills.

Click here to see the video!

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By now I’m certain you’ve thought I have forgotten all about my blog, as it has not been updated since late September.  As they say, sometimes life happens when you’re busy making other plans.  For me, it involved my boyfriend of 7.5 years.  In October, we called our relationship quits, which created quite the upheaval in my life.  So needless to say, updating my blog has not been high on my priority list for a while.

Always one to find the silver lining in each difficult situation I encounter, I am using my personal experience to inform those readers considering purchasing property with their “significant other”.  Although you bask in the glow of love now as you sign the paperwork to purchase a home together, there are legal implications to consider before moving forward with such a financial decision.
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I understand you haven’t been having wild parties at your house, as it happens to all of us from time to time:  the dreaded hole in the wall.  A rambunctious child and a broken door stop can quickly make a hole in the drywall the size of your doorknob.  The house settling can also crack it as well.  But how do you repair these issues?  Check out this video, which tells us how – from the smallest crack to a doorknob sized hole, it can be done!

Click here to see the video!
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It is universally accepted that the master suite and kitchen in any property are where sellers can get the most “bang for the buck” when making improvements.  These two areas are where buyers focus when making a purchase decision.  It is often said that for every $10 spent, you can get $8 or $9 of it back at the time of sale in these two rooms of the house.

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Since I was one of the few that stayed up until 1:30 am last night waiting to see the Space Shuttle take off but did not because of the rain, I thought I would do a blog post on roof shingles.  When it rains heavily, I know we’re happy to know there’s a good roof over our heads to keep us dry.  But what goes into a roof?  How do they know how long it will last?  Check out this video which explains a lot about roofing:

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Yesterday we had a little bit of excitement here around my house. A city water main pipe had burst in our front yard. Within minutes, we had a few thousand gallons of water everywhere. I had ankle-deep water in one section of driveway and could not believe the deluge!

So, with that being said, today’s topic will be an homage to French Drains. While they are not designed to handle such loads as what mine were asked to do yesterday, they still provide help to those homeowners with too much water surrounding the structure. Luckily, I had the system in place, as it took enough water away from the low-lying areas to keep water from entering the house. It could very easily have happened, and would have in a blink of an eye. Read the rest…

I’m one that really enjoys DIY, or “Do it Yourself” projects around the home.  For instance, I’ve changed many a light fixture and painted many rooms in our home.  I get real satisfaction from seeing a job well done, and knowing I did it myself.  However, a $20 light fixture is dramatically different than attempting making decisions in regards to your largest financial asset without counsel.  That’s something I definitely would not recommend at all. Read the rest…

With all the talk of saving money and our environment, how many of us have actually completed an energy audit?  Local electric companies will provide on monthly bills a chart showing usage trends.  While that information is nice to know, where can you save on electric usage and cut your bills?  Read the rest…

What is National Night Out?

It’s America’s Night Out Against Crime!

The “26th Annual National Night Out” (NNO), a unique crime/drug prevention event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW), has been scheduled for Tuesday, August 4, 2009.

Last year’s National Night Out campaign involved citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from over 15,000 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide. In all, over 37 million people participated in National Night Out 2008. Read the rest…

With all of the talk of homeowners losing their homes to foreclosure, it’s no wonder so many con artists have now figured out how to use this angle to prey upon those who are vulnerable.  Don’t become a victim to one of these “Foreclosure Rescue” scams.  If any organization finds you to help, it’s a scam.  Only those who need help will seek out assistance.  Federal agencies who assist homeowners NEVER seek them out. Read the rest…